Electromagnetic Reflection Profiles

• US 20140145873A1
• Filed: 11/27/2012
• Published: 05/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Miller, Robert Raymond, Li, Kevin A., Meuninck, Troy C., Pratt, James H., Schroeter, Horst J., Shahraray, Behzad
• Granted Patent: US 9,188,668 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/146
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/06 Systems determining position data of a target
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/46 Indirect determination of position data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/462 using multipath signals
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02524 Creating or updating the radio-map

Abstract

Methods, systems, and products determine electromagnetic reflective characteristics of ambient environments. A wireless communications device sends a cellular impulse and receives reflections of the cellular impulse. The cellular impulse and the reflections of the cellular impulse may be compared to determine the electromagnetic reflective characteristics of an ambient environment.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

transmitting an impulse from a cellular communications device;

receiving multiple reflections of the impulse at multiple antennas in the cellular communications device;

determining a distortion of the impulse based on the multiple reflections;

obtaining a current location of the cellular communications device; and

associating the distortion to the current location.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising transmitting the impulse from multiple ones of the multiple antennas.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising determining a distance based on the multiple reflections of the impulse.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising determining a composite vector associated with the multiple reflections of the impulse.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising determining a signal-to-noise ratio.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising determining a signal-to-noise ratio using the impulse and the distortion.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising sending the distortion to a network access point of a communications network.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising querying for a reflection profile associated with the current location.

9. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

memory to store instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising;

storing a database of reflection profiles that associates electromagnetic reflection characteristics to locations;

determining a null entry in the database of reflection profiles;

retrieving an address of a wireless access point associated with the null entry;

determining a communications device that wirelessly communicates with the wireless access point;

instructing the communications device to transmit an cellular impulse and to receive a reflection of the cellular impulse;

determining a reflection profile from the cellular impulse and the reflection of the cellular impulse; and

storing the reflection profile in the database of reflection profiles to replace the null entry.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to determine a distortion between the cellular impulse and the reflection of the cellular impulse.

11. The system according to claim 9, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to determine a signal vector associated with the reflection of the cellular impulse.

12. The system according to claim 9, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to determine a composite signal vector associated with multiple reflections of the cellular impulse.

13. The system according to claim 9, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to determine a signal-to-noise ratio.

14. The system according to claim 9, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to determine a signal-to-noise ratio using the cellular impulse and the distortion.

15. The system according to claim 9, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to route a polling message to the wireless access point.

16. The system according to claim 9, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to associate the reflection profile to a location of the wireless access point.

17. A computer readable medium storing processor executable instructions for performing a method, the method comprising:

storing in memory a database of reflection profiles that associates electromagnetic reflection characteristics to locations;

determining a null entry in the database of reflection profiles;

retrieving an address of a wireless access point associated with the null entry;

polling the wireless access point for communications devices that wirelessly communicate with the wireless access point;

selecting one of the communications devices;

sending an impulse command to the one communications device to transmit a cellular impulse and to receive a reflection of the cellular impulse;

determining a reflection profile from the cellular impulse and the reflection of the cellular impulse; and

replacing the null entry with the reflection profile in the database of reflection profiles.

18. The computer readable medium according to claim 17, further comprising instructions to transmit the cellular impulse from a single antenna in a multiple input, multiple output system of the one communications device.

19. The computer readable medium according to claim 17, further comprising instructions for determining a distortion between the cellular impulse and the reflection of the cellular impulse.

20. The computer readable medium according to claim 17, further comprising instructions for determining a signal-to-noise ratio.